Rod Bernard, who died on July 12th, was a leading exponent of swamp pop. While the term was coined by English writer Bill Millar in the ‘70s, it refers to a style of music that grew out of South Louisiana and East Texas and is a mixture of rock’n’roll, R&B, country, New Orleans and French Louisiana influences, in the ‘50s and early ‘60s. For a short time there were a number of breakout hits on the US national charts, including the million selling Phil Phillips’ ‘Sea of Love’ and Cookie and His Cupcakes’ ‘Mathilda’. Continue reading “The Song Remains: Rod Bernard 1940 – 2020”